Sam Biddle

Japan's nuclear beef problem is getting worse. Bloomberg reports over 1,200 cesium-tainted cows have been detected—double the initial estimate. And their meat's already been eaten around Japan. The solution? Buy it and incinerate it.

You know what happens when your nuclear reactor explodes, sending radioactive materials into the…
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The Japanese government's declared all beef surpassing the "allowable limit" of cesium contamination will be purchased and destroyed. So that's good!

But it's not enough. Cesium's isotopes—the Fukushima-spread 137 in particular—are very, very nasty. They stay in your system, and take a long time to degrade. This can mean cancer. Given the government's spotty (and irresponsible) record of making their "safe limits" somewhat arbitrary in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, we'd hope they'd err heavily on the side of caution when it comes to destroying this toxic meat. Tracking down the tainted cows (and the cesium-laced hay they chomped on) won't be easy, but it could mean sparing the meat-eating Japanese population exposure to some very, very nasty stuff. [via Kyodo News]

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